Forest Fires Linked in Many Ways to Climate Change – July 10, 2012

Heat Wave is Allowing Mountain Pine Beetles that Kill Trees to Proliferate in Higher Numbers than Usual

Heat waves. Dry lightning. Draught. Extreme windstorms. Overpopulation of tree-eating beetles. Wildfires.

Photo byCameron StrandbergPine trees that are killed off by beetles are like ticking firebombs, just waiting for one strike of dry
lightning in a drought stricken area.

What do all of these things have in common? They are the tangible effects of climate change, scientists say, rather timidly. Even the recent rash of wildfires across western states, which have fire crews and residents scrambling to identify causes, can list global warming as a ‘fuel.’

As of last month, the United States has seen over 40,000 hot weather records… more

by: Nicky Ouellet

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Pollution Still Plagues Most US Beach Waters and the Great Lakes – June 27, 2012

In 2011 America’s Beaches Saw the Third-Highest Number of Closing and Advisory Days in Over Two Decades

As a kid, summer meant one thing to me: long, lazy days at Hampton Beach in Rockingham, New Hampshire. Luckily for me, Hampton Beach consistently scores well on beach water quality reports. Unfortunately for others, many popular beaches across the US don't fare as well.

Photo by Tony AlterHuntington Beach, CA. One of the 12 beaches that received a five star rating from NRDC.

The Natural Resources Defense Council’s annual beach water quality report, released today, finds that stormwater runoff and sewage pollution still plagues most US beach waters and the Great Lakes. The report, titled Testing the Waters: A Guide to Water Quality at… more

by: Nicky Ouellet

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Environmentalists Fighting a Proposed Highway that Would Bisect Maine – June 19, 2012

Critics Say Highway Could be a Trojan Horse for Moving Natural Gas or Tar Sands Oil

If you build it, they will come.

That seems to be the logic behind a new proposal to build a highway connecting eastern seaports in Maine with major highways in northwestern Canada. Although the idea is by no means new, the approach, as outlined in a feasibility study titled Northeast CanAm Connections: Integrating the Economy and Transportation, is unusual. Cianbro Corporation, its biggest proponent, thinks a corridor funded by private investors could stimulate the weak Maine economy and make the state’s coast a key import-export hub.

Photo courtesy WLBZ 2 NewsThe proposed 220 mile, four-lane highway would connect Calais on the seaboard in Main with Corburn… more

by: Nicky Ouellet

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Cities’ Trash Projected to Double by 2025 – June 12, 2012

As Urbanization Increases So Does Amount of Garbage

Golfers out for a relaxed game at Park Ridge Golf Course in Palm Springs might be surprised to learn that they are teeing off on an old landfill. Underneath them and a thick blanket of sod rests the refuse of the city. The trash is out of sight and out of mind.

Photo by Flicker user karlhansAn open landfill in Mandaue City, the Philippines. The cost of managing waste will be the highest in
lower-income countries where population growth is high.

Inhabitants of cities in poorer countries are often not so lucky — the landfill may be an open air “city dump”… more

by: Nicky Ouellet

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